Career News

The number of jobs in higher education fell 0.6 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period a year ago, dropping about 10,500 jobs, according to the higher education employment report. The number of jobs in higher education has now declined for two consecutive quarters after several consecutive quarters of steady but modest increases, the report found.

University of Virginia will be making changes to their healthcare coverage as it prepares for the Affordable Care Act. The university announced that it will drop health coverage for some of its employee spouses due to the cost. The projected additional cost of health care is estimated at $7.3 million in 2014.

Pennsylvania State University will be making changes to their wellness program in January. After years of voluntary wellness programs to help reduce health cost, the program will now have penalties. A monthly surcharge of $100 will be imposed on employees who haven't filled out health-screening forms and gotten a physical exam. An additional monthly surcharge will be imposed on those who smoke.

The City Colleges of Chicago Board of Trustees has approved raises of 13.3 to 21.4 percent for their presidents. The salary approvals provide all seven president’s salaries at $170,000. While the presidents are now taken care of, the discussion regarding pay and work hours for part time faculty continues.

The Iowa Valley Community College District recently announced that faculty will receive a 3.93 percent increase. The percent is similar to the raise received by non-faculty staff earlier this year. The increase brings the district’s three colleges right in line with the state average.

Eastern Kentucky’s new president, Michael Benson, made quite a first impression during convocation when he announced a 2.5% salary increase for all university employees. Benson recently joined the university after serving as president for Southern Utah University for the last seven years. The across the board raise will be the second of its kind in the last five years for the university and will go into effective on Oct 1.

The Adjunct Faculty Association at Duquesne University is exploring the topic of labor unions at Catholic institutions. The institutions in question consist of Duquesne University, St. Xavier University, and Manhattan College. The discussion is centered on a 1979 Supreme Court decision (NLRB v. Catholic Bishop of Chicago).

Missouri State University has created a new position to attract and retain underrepresented faculty. The position of diversity fellow will be tasked with the responsibility of mentoring those who are underrepresented. The definition of underrepresented is being left open to interpretation.

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education approved a five percent raises for state employees. The raise is considered a cost of living increase and is the first for employees since 2009. A total of 268 employees qualified for the fiscal year 2014 increase.

Essex County College will be holding a job fair on August 20 to employ adjunct faculty. The fair will run from noon to 7pm and will be located at 303 University Avenue in Newark, New Jersey. Faculty is being sought for all of its for-credit programs.

The North Dakota Board of Higher Education has approved raises for 10 of the state’s college presidents. The approved plan will provide the presidents an increase of 3 to 5 percent. In addition to the state’s college presidents, salary ranges were also approved for university senior staffers and auditors.

Nelnet looks to add 250 new employees to it Omaha, Nebraska location. The student loan company is trying to increase staff due to its increase in federal student loaning servicing. Nelnet increased its share of federal student loan servicing from 16% in 2011-12 to 30% in 2012-13.

Raises are planned for full-time employees and adjunct faculty of Lone Star College System, effective September 1. The raises come via an approved budget for the 2013-2014 year. The overall increase in salaries is expected to be $3.3 million.

North Dakota’s 11 public colleges’ presidents will have to wait on raises. The state Board of Higher Education delayed decisions on pay increases as other options are considered. Recommendations will be made in a few weeks and any increases will be retroactive to July 1.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced that $54.8 million will be funded to Chicago colleges and universities. The funding will be provided through the Illinois Jobs Now capital construction program, which will be used to meet the critical needs of Illinois private colleges and universities. The agenda is to improve higher education in Illinois while creating thousands of construction jobs.

Brookdale Community College has named David Stout the dean of the Freehold Township campus. Stout joined the institution in 1997 and has served in a variety of positions. He holds a doctorate from Northcentral University and assumed his new role on July 16.

Employees at Washington State University will receive a pay increase beginning in 2014. The pay increase will cost the institution $11 million a year. The funding will come from the general university budget. The goal of Interim Provost is to utilize the funding to retain and recruit quality personnel.

Employees at the Louisiana State University System will receive their first raise in four years. The funding will come from administrative savings and adjustments over the past few years. The amount of the raises for each institution and the effective date will vary.

The Board of Trustees at the University of Wyoming is seeking merit increases for faculty and staff to the tune of $14M. The increase is equivalent to at 4% pay raise and would be effective in 2015. If approved, the increase will be the first in four years for the university’s employees.

University of Illinois Board of Trustees Chairman Christopher Kennedy has concerns about faculty unionization. The topic came about when pro-faculty union organizers were seeking to improve benefits, wages, and working conditions for faculty. Kennedy believes that unions have no place in a shared governance environment.

LSU System President King Alexander believes his university must raise faculty salaries to become a nationally competitive research institution. His belief comes from the fact that more than 200 faculty have left the university since 2008 which has cost the university tens of millions in research grants. He estimates that it will cost the university upward of $40 million to replace the faculty members who have left.

The University of Illinois is forming search committees to support their goal to hire 500 new faculty in the next five to seven years. This initiative is necessary to replace the number of tenure-track faculty that has retired or left for opportunities elsewhere. The university is referring to this process as cluster hires.

Employees at the University of Minnesota are bracing for the changes that come with Affordable Health Care. Staff and faculty are looking at increased out of pocket cost for primary and specialty care. To ease in the transition the university is looking that a “medical cost relief program”.

St. Louis University has approved $13.5M in salary increases for faculty and staff. The increase will be allocated in the 2014 fiscal year which began on July 1. Approximately $10M of the approved increases will be used for performance merit increases. As a result, nearly 98% of eligible full time employees will receive an increase.

Texas Governor Rick Perry and the University of Texas System celebrated the approval of a new university in the Rio Grande Valley. The new university will be a merger of UT Pan American and UT Brownsville and the future South Texas School of Medicine. The new institution will change the educational and economic landscape of South Texas.

Wyoming Governor Matt Mead is seeking raises for Wyoming employees, including University of Wyoming staff and faculty. Employee retention is the reason for his proposed salary increase of 15 percent. His recommendations will be contingent in state revenue project which will be released in October.

Indian Hills Community College Board of Trustees is hoping to provide its employees a raise after a few years after of sacrifice. Employees accepted smaller increases over the past few years due to the college’s limited funding. Now that there is an increase in funding, the board of trustees hopes to return the same type of loyalty that the workers showed.

University of Texas System Board of Regents awarded $1 million to 39 outstanding faculty members. The faculty members work for six of the University of Texas health institutions. The awards are part the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards (ROTA). Each faculty members received a check for $25,000.

Professor Lucy Marsh has filed a federal complaint against the University of Denver after 40 years of service. She is alleging that she has been underpaid in violation of the Equal Pay Act. A recent memo regarding merit increases indicated that female full professors are paid on average $16,000 less than their male counterparts.

An audit conducted at the University of Iowa identified that $805,000 of salary expense was overpaid in fiscal year 2012. In the previous year $159,354 in salary was also overpaid. It was recommended that electronically submitted forms be sent in a timely manner.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee met on July 10th to vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). ENDA will ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The following are myths and facts regarding ENDA.

Adjunct instructors in Ohio are seeking unemployment benefits. Traditionally, adjunct instructors work on a term by term basis. Given the growing number of adjunct faculty across the country, this topic will be followed closely.

University of Oklahoma Board of Regents has approved faculty raises. An increase of $1.4 million in state funding will be used to pay for faculty promotions. In addition, staff will receive a one-time bonus of $500.

The UConn Board of Trustees has approved a FY 14 budget of $1.1 billion. Part of the budget will be used to continue its faculty hiring plan. The goal is to add 259 new faculty and make other academic and research investments.

Rowan University has recently shifted its focus to become a research institution. To support that new designation they have recently hired over 60 new research faculty. This increase in faculty is the largest in the school’s history.

To remain competitive in their local area, the University of South Florida is hoping that merit increases will help to retain its employees. The merit increases will be in conjunction to across the board pay increases and bonuses for state employees. University of South Florida competes with University of Florida and Florida State University for local talent.

Employees at the University of Illinois are scheduled for a merit based increase of 2.75%. The raises will go into effect when the new school year starts in August. This year’s increase comes after an increase of 2.5% last year.

Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees approved the schools budget which includes a salary increase for its faculty. The increase will provide a 2 percent bump in pay for faculty members whose average rate of pay was $101,564 last year. The increase will allow the university to be more competitive in recruiting and retaining faculty.

Employees of the University of Wisconsin System await final approval of the salary increase proposal submitted by Gov. Scott Walker. The proposal will provide employees a 1 percent salary increase which would be their first in the last five years for most workers. The proposal will also provide an increase of 0.25 cents per hours for employees with a base rate below $15 per hour.

With an operations budget of $263 million now approved for next year, the staff and full time faculty of Missouri State University are schedule to receive an increase of 2 percent. Strong enrollment and an increase of tuition of 1.7 percent will help to fund the pay increase. Addition increases in fees include 3 percent for housing and 4 percent for boarding. The university however will provide $27 million in scholarships next year.

Due to gender pay gap issues, Western Michigan University will provide salary increases for around 300 women professors. A recent compensation study found that women professors were earning 4 percent less than their male counterparts. The salary increase is a step in the right direction for Western Michigan University but this is not a problem exclusive only to WMU.

Same sex employees at MIT who utilize extended health care benefits for their spouses will have $125 paid by MIT. The $125 will be used to offset the federal taxes that same sex couples are required to pay. MIT now joins Harvard who adopted a similar policy in April.

The Board of Regents in Kansas has approved raises for public university administrators. The approval will affect Kansas State University, University of Kansas, and four other Kansas public universities. The funding for the raises will be provided by each university’s fundraising foundation.

Central Michigan University and its employees have reached common ground in its labor discussions. The university ratified a three year agreement with a group who represents 118 supervisory-technical employees. In addition, the university also came to agreement with its 324 office professionals.

The University of Missouri System passed a proposal to expand its benefit plan to include eligible adult dependents. The plan will allow same sex partner to be eligible for benefits. The plan will also allow the system to attract employees who may otherwise go elsewhere due to the lack of extended benefits. Other universities such as Colorado State, Indiana University, Rutgers, and University of Nebraska have also extended its benefits to eligible adult dependents. The benefits will go into effect in 2014.

Fidelity just released a study stating that 70% of baby boomer faculty lacks the necessary investment savings for retirement. As a result, the study found that 74 percent of the respondents plan to delay their retirement. Fidelity surveyed over 600 boomers between the ages of 49 to 67.

Winona State has seen a trend stating to develop. With the departure of two more members leaving to become university president, it begs the question of if Winona State is becoming a training ground for future presidents. Winona State now has propelled a total of four former members into the role of president.

Analysts at the University of Illinois Institute for Government & Public Affairs have developed a plan to address the state’s public universities pension concerns. The proposed plan would require state university employees to contribute an additional 2 percent of their checks toward retirement benefits. Once the employee retires they will receive cost-of-living adjusts tied to the rate of inflation. The plan was unanimously endorsed by Illinois public university presidents and chancellors. The plan now goes through the state’s approval process.

University of Louisville’s plan to buy-out 200 employees has surpassed expectations. Approximately 300 members of the university’s workforce have taken advantage of the opportunity. The separation of these seasoned employees will make way for the hiring of new lower-paid employees. The buyouts are part of a larger plan to save the university cost in an attempt to realign its budget.

Florida State President Eric Barron hopes to allocate $10M to hire selective new faculty. Barron's goal is to bring in a total of 76 new faculty. The university is attempting to replace an estimated 220 faculty lost due to budget cuts over the past six years.

As of June 1, the University of Michigan now requires pre-employment background checks and education verification on all candidates. Prior to the change staff departments weren't required to verify the education of applicants and academic departments weren't required to conduct background checks. After ongoing discussions, the Board of Regents Personnel, Compensation and Governance Committee made the decision to implement a more comprehensive policy.

Career Articles

Today’s Campus is proud to announce a simplified pricing package for employment advertising. Given the need for an easy-to-manage and affordable employment advertising option, Today’s Campus’ Featured Employer Package is scaled at a low total cost. Recruiters no longer have to designate their institution by full time equivalent (FTE) or worry about hidden expenses. All accredited institutions now have the opportunity to post unlimited job announcements with an annual subscription. Featured Employers receive a custom landing page, allowing them the ability to showcase the benefits of their institution via text, images and video. The custom landing page can be configured to display vacancies, employment benefits, institutional news and recent press releases. In addition, Featured Employers gain access to Today’s Campus’ ever-growing resume database. The rate for a Featured Employer annual subscription is $1995. Today’s Campus also offers 30-day job postings at a rate of $195.

A recent article looks at correcting unemployment from a job training perspective. The roles of government and higher education are discussed in detail. The article also explores the industries impacted and how the next generation can be better prepared for future opportunities.

Many higher education institutions have been going like gangbusters to determine the impact the Affordable Care Act will have on their benefits plans and health insurance costs. And many are already implementing changes. According to findings from CUPA-HR’s 2013 Employee Health Benefits in Higher Education Survey, two-thirds of respondents indicated that they had already determined the financial impact of the ACA on their health benefits costs.

A recent study conducted by the University of Copenhagen revealed that employees and employers are better off when salaries are negotiated individually. The study showed that employee's average salary increases more when employers and employees negotiate on an individual basis, without a collective-bargaining agreement. The study revealed that over a 10-year period, the individually negotiated salaries were 5% higher.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission did not discriminate against a 71-year-old investigator applicant by hiring a candidate who was more than 30 years younger but had attended law school, the commission decided July 15 (Hardwick v. Berrien, EEOC, No. 0120110520, 7/15/13). Sybil Hardwick failed to prove that EEOC selected the younger candidate out of discriminatory animus, the commission said, because Hardwick’s and the selectee’s qualifications were not so different in weight that no reasonable person could have chosen the selectee.

The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges has formed a committee to review how higher education is governed. The goal of the new committee is to provide introspect and bring much needed change. The committee will consist of 26 former and current educational leaders from across the nation.

A recent study on the budgeting process for higher education provides insight on the challenges that the industry faces. The study takes a look at the annual operating plan and its ties to the institution’s strategic vision and plan. The resources and tools used to forecast the operating plan is also explored.

Demand Media recently completed a survey of the top higher education administration programs. The survey ranked the top four institutions based on various criteria. Individual mentoring by experienced faculty and hands on experience was a common trait in the top four institutions.

Leveraging a 19-year history and trusted relationship with 42,000 subscribers from 3,600 institutions within the higher education sector, Today’s Campus is increasing its employment recruiting tools and resources for its subscribers.

A recruitment tools available to human resource professionals is Today’s Campus Employment Services’ customized email campaigns. Talent acquisition professionals now have the ability to target qualified higher education candidates by occupation and geographic location. This recruitment tool provides recruiters the ability to engage prospects directly rather than depending a prospect to seek out the institution’s job posting or employment advertisement. In addition, customized email campaigns provide the necessary analytics to ensure a return on investment. To learn more about customized email campaigns contact Today’s Campus Employment Services at 480-382-0406 Ext. 3 or jobboard@todayscampus.com

Arizona State University worked with Today’s Campus to pilot the custom landing page feature for employers. Learn a little about ASU by reading below. Click here to view the ASU landing page or click "Read More" at the end of the article.

The Caribbean based Trinity School of Medicine (with administrative offices in Alpharetta, Georgia) recently approached Today’s Campus to assist in its search for medical science faculty. The following are five things you should know about Trinity School of Medicine:

The College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) recently released findings from its 2012-13 Professionals in Higher Education Salary Survey. The overall median base salary increase in 2012 for individuals in positions with primary assignments and responsibilities requiring professional-level expertise and work in specific functional areas was 2%. The increase in 2011 was also 2%. Similar to findings from CUPA-HR’s other salary surveys, increases were greater at private institutions than at public institutions (2.4% vs. 2.0%). This year’s findings reflect the salaries of 182,482 job incumbents in public and private institutions nationwide.

An associate provost for faculty affairs at the University of Arizona makes it a point to warn search committee members that there may be an unconscious bias when evaluating potential candidates. The associate provost references several scientific studies to prove his point.

Forbes recently released a list of the 10 best cities to find employment. Many of the cities selected were chosen due to factors related to education. Bethesda is ranked number one in the nation due to its schools, the college town of Austin was selected due to its highly educated talent pool, and Jacksonville’s heaviest hiring sector is higher education. Other cities such as Grand Rapids and Seattle listed education as one of the top industries for hiring.

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is searching for a Director of Residence Life. Today's Campus asks, what's it like to work at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay? Here are five things you should know.

Today’s Campus has started two new weekly features entitled “On the Move” and “Campus Profile”. The goal is to bring more attention to the colleges and universities that serve today’s higher education students. Each feature will hopefully attract top level faculty and administrator to the institutions highlighted.

Currently, many recent college graduates still face the daunting task of searching for a job. While the job search process can be long and exhausting, a University of Missouri researcher has found that maintaining positivity and staying motivated can lead to a more successful job search.

As technology shifted, and our thinking process from specific and lengthy to general and brief, the job search process has surely followed. Therefore, if you are using a three-to-five page CV to land your next job, you may want to think about switching your “paper handshake” to something a little more short attention span ready!

Having a degree(s) and multiple years of experience in one or more fields is a key asset in the job market. This can demonstrate that you are strong at multi-tasking and able to adapt in multiple business groups and environments, which employers value. Though you look great on paper, it does not mean you can properly market yourself to an employer about why you are their next “hire.” During an interview, and while you network, prepare your communication about your path and career choices. Your presentation should highlight you, your successes in chronological order, and how they apply to the job you are seeking.

Have you been applying to various positions on company job boards with no success? The diction utilized on your resume may be the challenge. To be more specific, the actual words used to describe your experience and skills may not match what the employer is looking for, even though you may be fully qualified for the position. Many employers have started using applicant tracking systems to improve their talent acquisition efforts. The lack of the human element is where a disconnect can occur.

Many job searchers make the professionally fatal mistake of handing out old business cards with new information hand-written on the back. Not only is this very unprofessional, but it also says to the receiver that you are still attached to a job which is long gone and unable to move on to a new professional identity.